(AKA the Dad in Denial)
Year two rolled by without much fanfare. Omega once again woke up with a not-so-small bundle emanating heat from on top of him and complained tiredly, "You have your own bed, you know."
"You're better," the girl said, and Omega's long suffering sigh merely made her giggle. It was an argument he'd lost long ago.
Aile grew rapidly, Omega found out, much more rapidly than he thought possible. Did children really grow up so fast? It was baffling, but it was a fact of life he was adjusting to whether he wanted to or not. She grew quickly and ate a lot and was really picky about the weirdest of things, but whether that was an Aile thing or an all-babies-are-like-this thing, he would never know. Speaking of facts of life and things to know, Aile's adventures had recently reached into the woods. After memorizing every stone and twist and turn in the ruins and lower caves (the ones that were safe enough for her to explore, anyway), the brat had routinely started to make it to the surface to play in the forest. He had to supervise her every time, because he knew there were strangers and mavericks up there, but thankfully Aile was smart enough to avoid them whenever possible. He warned her about the dangers of unfamiliar people anyways, multiple times, because Weil had not been well liked and because little girls were easy prey. He told her to never be seen if she could help it. Aile obeyed flawlessly. Which meant that, in the end, she'd gotten very good at sneaking around, and often used that skill against him.
Sometimes, he grumbled, Aile was too smart. Omega did his best to take advantage of this intelligence anyways, and attempted to school her on basic equations and words, (sort-of) taught her how to read with the children's books and travel pamphlets that he stole, and showed her how various weapons worked. It wasn't the easiest of tasks, for whenever she got bored with a lecture she'd steal away the moment he looked elsewhere. If only she was as patient as she was sneaky! The blasted runt was getting really clever at dodging his attempts to grab her, too!
Despite some hardship, field trips to the surface became standard practice, even though Omega was uncomfortable with leaving the underground for too long. Thankfully he was able to alternate these trips with explorations of the bizarre, massive caverns of the deep ruins, or even that one area with its own individual sky and dark sun that not even Omega could properly describe. Aile loved these trips either way, but especially the surface ones. It wasn't ideal, but at least that way she was happy and, more importantly, burning off the insane amounts of energy children apparently had. They never travelled too far, though. This was partly because the amusement park was still there, which was an absolute godsend to Omega because of how full of toys and goods and non-perishable foods it was. Yet not a single person was ever in sight when he went there. Repairs had been made, supplies had been restocked, but no one ever visited it. What a waste of money. Baffling. Then again, Aile avoided the place too; If she saw a glimpse of it she would immediately turn back the way she'd come with a haunted look. Not to mention that mavericks were still gathering in the area despite him thinning out their numbers during his occasional supply runs to the park's outskirts. He'd even overheard some sort of monkey mutos once. Discretion was the better part of valor there, especially since he'd rather not deal with that particularly loud-mouthed nuisance; he had let the maverick go by without making a sound, and the stupid oaf never noticed he was there.
Perhaps Omega could understand the desertion after all.
The forest was Aile's haven. She never tired of exploring it as she played with bark and twigs and all manner of random things, or climbed up trees to take their barely-ripe fruit. She'd hiss and spit at every mechaniloid she saw whether it was an aggressive maverick or not. With Omega in tow, because she would usually drag him along beside her with her tiny little grip, the robots tended to attack them anyway. Dealing with them was pitifully easy for the God of Destruction, of course, even with Aile nervously looking around and holding his hand in a vice grip. After he gave Aile a solid metal bar to use as a weapon, it became even easier. She was nothing if not enthusiastically violent towards the dratted things. It was rather humourous to watch, actually.
Thinking on these many events, Omega also thought about his own place in them. He had to, especially since Aile often wouldn't stop asking questions whenever she thought she could get away with bothering him. He hated to admit it, but she could get away with quite a lot. He hated to acknowledge this fact so much that frankly, he didn't acknowledge it at all. There were a lot of things he wouldn't allow anyone to think of or know about. Not even himself. A lot of subjects he refused to consider or linger upon.
Waiting for Weil was taking a toll on him.
The patience needed was agonizing, disheartening, and draining all at once. Instead of thinking too heavily on it, the swordsman had long ago busied himself with memorizing the layout and contents of his impromptu home. Though Omega knew the ruins had something to do with his former employer, he had no idea what that exactly entailed. Weil's characteristic building style was everywhere to such a wild degree that it felt organic, as was his energy signature, but that was it as far as Omega could tell. He'd explored every nook and cranny regardless, desperate for an answer, but none came. It felt like a fruitless search. The best lead Omega ever managed was when he came across a massive construction in the center of a pile of spikes, one that he still visited from time to time. It had a face, it glowed with power, yet no matter how much he called, it never responded. The imposing thing was little more than decoration for all he knew. There was no evidence to suggest otherwise. His instincts, his deep-seated hopes, the unnerving feeling that someone or something was watching him every time he went into the room, all desperately told him that the odd structure was important. Reality told him differently. Nothing ever happened no matter how many times he confronted its distorted form, so Omega mostly left the thing alone. What else could he do about it when it was little more than a silent, metal effigy?
In exploring the massive structures underground, Omega had found that the caves were well and truly sealed off. There was one big door on the other side of the area, but said door hadn't budged no matter what he threw at it. If it hadn't been for Aile's mishap in locating him he'd have thought he was completely trapped beneath the earth, too deep for anyone to ever find. It was pure dumb luck, or perhaps fate, that these ruins were connected via the caves to the old lab that he'd… that Zero and the others had left him in. (He hadn't died. He hadn't lost the fight! They'd ganged up on him when he and Zero had been taking a breather, that was all! Teamed up like the cowards they were to take him down, knock him out. Yet guess who was still alive and kicking? Whose long-dismantled corpses and rusted armour fragments weren't rotting in the darkest room he could find? His! He'd shut the door on those memories and bodies long ago, and had no intention of opening that can of worms ever again.)
There was also the room, the one he had converted into Aile's safehouse. The odd, floating stone once held within… it felt unnervingly familiar. Dangerous. To him or to his charge, he didn't know, but paranoia led him to hide that away too, and Omega happily forgot all about it afterwards. Curiosity killed the cat as they say. Some things were better left buried... (and oh, wasn't there some irony in him being the one to say that!)
The toll of loyally waiting for Weil for so long (so very, very long) had been somewhat alleviated, had become justified, when Aile dropped into his lap. It proved that his patience would be rewarded. Staying in the underground for literal centuries had been a worthwhile endeavour after all. That being said, taking care of Weil's descendant was a tiring experience at the best of times. Omega had been incredibly lethargic and slow-moving these last few hundred years, so the sudden change in habit was quite a shock. Aile's constant energy, the amount of times he'd had to chase her down or carry her home, or even tear her off of himself when she clambered onto him (with an absurdly strong grip, seriously what the heck), was physically and mentally a marathon to deal with. Quite frankly he had way too many pointy bits and stashed-away weapons for that last one to be remotely safe. But without other children her age to socialize with, it was an event that occurred pretty often no matter how many times the blonde reploid warned her against it. He could haul her off wherever she was clutched to his side three times in a row, snap at her to stop, and ten minutes later she'd still be trying to clamber up him again like he was some sort of jungle gym. Usually his hair would get a painful yank too. The constant hassle of childcare, how every single day was so wildly different from the day before it, made him realize just how little he'd been doing up until now. Just how much waiting for Weil he'd done.
He supposed this lessened his boredom, at least. It also killed the guilt he felt towards Weil, towards his greatest ally, when he couldn't do anything else but wait. After all, what if he'd left the area the very same day Weil came searching for him? This was why he was always hesitant to take trips with Aile. It was because he had to stay in the ruins. He had to. He'd even explained this to her, that he couldn't just leave and look around willy-nilly and potentially miss when his friend finally came calling.
(What if looking for him made Omega confront the truth. The truth that Weil was probably long dead… NO! Enough!)
Taking care of Aile was a lot better than sitting around and doing nothing. At times it even felt good. It was nice to feel like he was accomplishing something constructive again, even if it was just raising one of his friend's progeny. (But still the guilt was there, and that guilt often led him into treating Aile more gently than he should have. He had to do right by her, because then he'd be doing right by Weil. Right?) He was still a little flabbergasted that the man even had a descendant, honestly. Would have had two of them if circumstances had been more favourable. Aile constantly caught him off-guard. She was there and then not, always moving. That girl didn't wait for anyone. She was an unrelenting force in his life now, and the little terror made very sure that Omega knew she existed. He couldn't go ten seconds without some sort of reminder, whether it was tripping over her toys, dodging around her hyperactive running, wincing when a particular shriek hit uncomfortable volumes, or waking up multiple times a night because she'd shifted around on his chest again or started crying. She was very much there, in his face and not apologetic about it in the least.
But… what about Weil himself? Weil… He wasn't there. How much longer would Omega have to wait? No, absolutely not, there was no place for such thoughts! Weil was his trusted friend, (his only friend,) and he would return, and as such Omega would continue to faithfully linger right where he'd been trapped so long ago by the Resistance and those conniving Neo Arcadians. He'd wait exactly where Weil would know to find him. He had to. The man would return someday, he knew it. He just knew it.
Or so he told himself.
—-—-
Years three to six of raising Aile melded into one another. In the past, Omega had found it hard to keep track of his temporal status because he was underground, because he didn't do much over long periods of time, or because of how few events actually happened in his day to day existence. Now it was hard to keep track not from time moving too slow, but from so many things that felt like they happened too fast for him to keep track of. Everything all at once, no, the damn things overlapped! So many events happened within Aile's life, and sometimes it was the only way to keep tabs on how the years were passing.
Year three was when she stopped her fibs for good. She also started to lose teeth, and Omega would never confess to how much he'd panicked the first time she showed him one of her own fragments of bone and a gap in her smile. Childcare books were snatched from a local library in the dead of night, which turned out to be one of the best decisions he'd made in years. Information he would have deemed ridiculous or superfluous just a few decades ago had become utterly essential. The ancient being dove headfirst into the contents of these books in between more playtime, naps, and temper tantrums. Before he might have been embarrassed or disgusted by the thought of needing knowledge of childcare, but now? Now there wasn't much of a choice anymore. Weil was going to absolutely, indubitably, one hundred percent owe him a lot for this.
Year four, Aile finally kicked him out of her room because she insisted she was, in her words, "A big girl now!" (Even though she'd been insisting that she was a big girl ever since they first met, so Omega just presumed she was a bigger big girl now, I guess). The red reploid, if you had been an outside observer at the time, became a little despondent at this development and pouted over it severely. Of course if you were Omega, you would have known that this was a ridiculous claim and obviously false, no way, didn't happen, and he'd only hung outside her room the first three nights after to make sure she was getting proper sleep after the sudden change. That was all. Which she did. So that was obviously good, and he could finally rest by himself again… except. Wait. Was he sure she was okay? Better check.
He was just doing his duty to Weil. That was all.
Speaking of his duty, Omega spent a lot of time properly child-proofing the surrounding caves while Aile was asleep or otherwise occupied by toys. The vast caverns were filled with the occasional maverick that might shoot her, or pools of water she could drown in , and a frankly ridiculous number of spikes and jagged stones that even he would think twice about. (Proper swimming lessons were on his to-do list, though he knew she could at least keep herself afloat thanks to some bathtime shenanigans from when she was younger.) She wasn't sticking to the normal areas she used to explore, the safe ones, and it was about time Omega introduced her to the concept of "course hazards". Carefully, obviously. He didn't have too many building materials to work with however, so sometimes he just tossed a large rock or tree trunk or torn-out-of-the-wall door over some of the more impassable areas, and renewed his efforts to teach common sense to his charge (why were there trees underground, anyways? He tried not to think too hard about this oddity). Look before you leap, don't drink water you haven't boiled, don't play chicken with the spike pits because they will always win, and don't go anywhere unarmed. He thanked the fates that Aile was a clever enough child to understand the important things.
When Omega wasn't doing that, he was focused on finding her short novels and newspapers and all sorts of other things for her to learn with, or to entertain herself. His searches led him anywhere from the amusement park to the campsites of tourists, and even into the city on occasion. Aile wouldn't be happy to hear that he had to dispose of a witness once or twice, so he did his utmost to keep casualties to a minimum and hoped that she never found out. He'd even scored a few science textbooks so that Weil would be pleased with her competence. His childcare guides said that socializing was important, so he also made sure that she had plenty of examples of people's reactions and general behaviours. Magazines were the so-called 'family favourite'. Both Aile and Omega got to laugh at people's stupidity and short tempers, and Aile especially enjoyed the ones with bonus comics and cartoons. Omega read the books along with her, of course, with the little girl sat in his lap and reading out loud to him and occasionally asking her caretaker for help with the bigger words and meanings. He was just supervising to make sure she was reading child-safe topics, obviously, and to keep track of her progress. Not because he enjoyed the interactions. Nope. Just doing his due diligence to educate her, obviously.
…What counted as a child-safe topic, anyways? Eh. He'd figure it out as they went.
Regardless. Literature was a good enough substitute for socializing with other kids, Omega figured, which was a relief since there was no way he'd be able to take her into civilian areas without potentially risking her safety. It also doubled as a brilliant way to help teach Aile about various subjects while also being entertaining for her, because the little girl still had attention span problems if whatever she was doing wasn't 'fun' enough for her high standards. Omega was still proud of himself for tricking her into liking to read things. Truly a clever ploy. If only mathematics were so easy…
Despite her vigour for literature, the textbooks were still too long and boring for her. "Not enough pictures!" she'd complained the one time he tried, though her caretaker didn't blame her in the least for the disgust in her voice, as even he found the observation annoyingly accurate. Instead of trying to get her to read The Undergraduate's Guide to Biomechanisms in Robotics, (a title that Omega himself couldn't read without wanting to yawn), he explored the underground ruins with her for some more… hands-on experience. Why read a boring book when they could just kill a few mechaniloids and rip them apart to see their innards in action? Practical experience was the best kind of experience if you asked him, and seeing as he was easily around four centuries old, his methods were clearly the best for learning the important things. Things such as not dying, or where to hit your foe to do the most damage. Critical knowledge in his not-so-humble opinion.
Speaking of important things to know, Aile herself brought up one of the most pertinent questions yet. He'd been pointing out the fragility of the limbs and joints of flying robots when Aile picked up the bat mechaniloid he'd been demonstrating on, tore off a wing to confirm Omega's statement, and turned to him to ask, "Why do mavericks do what they do?"
Ah. A very vital question indeed, and close to her heart considering the events that led her to Omega in the first place. That query launched a brief explanation of reploid history, of viruses and madmen controlling robots for their own ends, and why some of the mechaniloids underground seemingly obeyed Omega and why some didn't. Control codes, maverick data, and the genuine laziness and lack of uniqueness that a lot of programmers had when trying to make their creations do their bidding. Thankfully Aile was enraptured by this particular 'story time', cozying up to his side as he explained, "Many mavericks are programmed to obey the strongest maverick in the area. Either that, or people use older and traditional codes for maverick obedience, a sort of universal recognition program if you will, to make sure their creations won't end up accidentally attacking each other even if two completely different makers were responsible. Because of that it's not unusual for me to get accidentally grandfathered in as a temporary maverick leader. I've been around a while and been in contact with all the typical codes, and people in general have always been colossally repetitive in using the same data." Aile nodded as he took a break to breathe. He huffed imperiously as he continued, "In fact, many maverick AIs probably still have program remnants from all the way back to the first Sigma incident. Besides, why change what already works? Just make some mass-produced minions, program them using the oldest trick in the book, and send them out to randomly wander about and attack things. It's probably why we still get a few new mechaniloids in here from time to time."
"So when… when those mavericks attacked the park…"
"Either someone specifically sent them there, or someone programmed them to just do whatever damage they could and set them loose on the world. And for whatever reason they showed up in the right place at the right time to take your family from you. Sometimes there's a reason for these attacks, and sometimes it's just to hurt as many people as possible. Humanity is cruel and apathetic like that."
Aile didn't scream or sob about injustice as she usually did. She just sadly nodded in understanding and hugged her father, "Thank you for being honest with me, daddy."
"Of course."
"I'm glad I'm smart enough to know what people are actually like."
"Me too."
This surprisingly mature conversation marked the beginning of year five. Aile would be nine, soon. Year five was when the not-so-little-anymore brunette finally got easier to teach. She began to have more patience for complex concepts, so Omega taught her the in-depth history of the Maverick wars and Elf Wars, which segued nicely into battle tactics and basic weapons training across the board. It brought the God of Destruction much relief when she could finally identify the difference between improvised arms and properly manufactured weaponry (the so-called "sword" from her first year still made him shudder). More importantly, she'd be able to use that information to accurately guess what her enemies would attempt to hit her with next.
With so much training and knowledge under her belt, Aile was generally more cautious when exploring. Her usual adventures were not nearly as brash or meandering as when she'd been younger. Unfortunately for him, she was also more curious and far, far more independent on her trips. This meant that Omega was in a predicament. Aile was getting intrigued about people again, and he couldn't keep her in a cave forever. Especially not when she was so fast, and downright unstoppable when she desired something. He'd caught her glancing at the nearby city far too many times for him to be comfortable, and he knew her well enough to realize that when she finally decided to check it out, there was nothing he would be able to do to stop her. Her urge to explore couldn't be contained, a lesson he long ago learned the hard way. So instead he buckled down, swallowed his reservations, and taught her extreme situational awareness and hand-to-hand combat. Omega focused his teachings on grappling and breaking out of holds, and told her why he was doing so. People were nasty and would do horrible things to her if she let them. She learned these lessons well, "Don't be within ten feet of anyone you can't immediately take down, especially older or larger people, if you can help it. Males are particularly volatile. If a person is acting bizarrely, don't take any chances. If someone won't leave you alone you come get me, or if they offer you candy or clothes or anything at all, don't take it. Especially food and beverages. Those are too easy to drug. Run the other way if anyone tries to give you something, I don't care how nice or how stupid they look, or what their age is. There will be no playing or socializing with anyone unless you're sure you can escape and let me handle it if things go wrong."
Aile just laughed at him, because as she so wisely pointed out, "Sure thing Daddy! But before they'd have to handle you, they'd have to be able to handle me. I'll make 'em quake in their boots if they so much as think of trying anything!" Aile aggressively brandished her favourite metal bar, the one now bent at the tip from where she'd cracked a mettaur's helmet.
Omega snorted in amusement, "Atta girl, Aile. Still. Don't take stupid risks. No grabbing anything from people unless you're sure you can steal it without them knowing and get away with it. And never, never pull your punches."
"Fiiiiine. I'll be good, daddy!"
Omega was relieved she took to the training so well. As he feared, she soon snuck away from him without telling him where she was going, striking out on her own for another adventure far outside the usual areas. Omega had known the day would come eventually. He wasn't overly mad or upset about it either (though she was definitely getting scolded for the 'not telling him' part). Worried perhaps (no that was silly the God of Destruction never worried), but every rookie had to go on their first solo mission eventually. He tracked her down, followed her in secret, and when she finally turned back at the gates to the city, he dashed back to the cave and waited for her return. He'd kept a straight face at the time, but her look of guilt and utter dread at realizing she'd been caught was going to delight him for years. After letting her work herself into anxiety over her potential punishment, Omega finally decided to let her off the hook and just lectured her instead, reminding her that he couldn't come to her rescue if he didn't know where she was. If he changed his mind and gave her a few dozen push ups afterwards out of spite for making him work so hard to track her, well, that was just another lesson learned in his books.
He still made a habit to tail her whenever he was able to, just to make sure she could defend herself, or not get into too much trouble. It was supposed to be a secret, but after a few months of this the tables were turned and she caught him stalking around. Omega refused to be guilty. He refused! …Well, alright. He felt a little sheepish, but no one would ever know. He simply backed off and gave his charge a little more space, as she'd asked. He applauded her for passing his test. It wasn't actually a test, but she didn't need to know that.
And so Aile continued to grow, to expand her horizons, to become more and more independent after each new adventure she went on. She still came home to him at the end of the day, but how long would that last for? Omega was determined to not think too hard on it. It just meant that he'd done his job raising her, even though he would have to work harder to protect her now. She was growing up. She could take care of herself. That was good, wasn't it? He'd be foolish to think she was going to rely on him forever, that he could keep her under control as long as he wanted. It would be unfair of him to do so! Aile was Weil's relative, not a prisoner. She was competent with everything she did, and she knew when to fight or retreat. He'd made absolutely sure of it. So why was he so worried when she wasn't within earshot? Why did he always find himself pacing if she came home just a few minutes later than usual? Why, when he noticed how much taller she was growing every day, did he feel so… melancholic?
Aile was strong, smart, and quick on her feet. She had incredible potential. Logically, he knew this. He'd trained her himself, was still doing so in fact. Just as he had utter confidence in his own skills, he had conviction in hers. She was a little small to use most conventional weapons, true, but he had no doubt she'd pick up the ability the moment she needed to. Yet he was still worried. He had no reason to be worried, so why was he worried. Aile never saw it. No one but Omega even knew these emotions were a thing, and they were something he ruthlessly quashed again and again. No one saw him pout and rage and stew over the many feelings he didn't deign to describe, the maverick in full denial of his own concerns. Omega didn't feel anything. He wasn't worried.
Aile was thirteen minutes later than normal.
Damn it to a fiery pit! Parenting was hard.
Okay, I lied a little. I got another chapter up. But still fairly decent 'ending' here, so hopefully it won't be too agonizing as I slowly try and work away on other chapter. Again, no guarantee that I'll even expand this stroy into more than 3 chapters. But believe me, I'm gonna give it my best shot.